Sanderson has Success in Bull Riding at Reno Rodeo

RENO, Nev. — Caleb Sanderson of Halletsville, Texas has already won $7,024 in Reno after finishing third in the Xtreme Bulls on Thursday night. On Friday night – the first performance of the 96th anniversary Reno Rodeo – Sanderson kept his momentum going.

He rode Diamond G Rodeo Company’s bull Warbird for 82 points, a score that, historically, at least should be enough to get him back to next Saturday’s championship round.

Sanderson finished five points ahead of world champion Cody Teel, of Kountze, Texas, who scored 77.The bull riders compete in one long round with the top 12 coming back for the championship round. All the other competitors compete in two rounds before the championship round.

World standings leader and four-time world champion Bobby Mote is off to a solid start in bareback.The Stephenville, Texas cowboy rode the Western Rodeo Company bronc Another Gray for 80 points, the high score of the night.

“That’s a great way to start,” said the 39-year-old Mote, who won the Reno Rodeo Silver Spurs in 2008 in bareback and 2012 in the all-around. “That’s just what you want. I’d never been on that horse before, but I know they won a round on him here last year. He was outstanding.”

Jesse Wright of Milford, Utah put himself in good position for another set of Reno Rodeo Silver Spurs as well as he posted the high score of the night in saddle bronc with an 84 on the Diamond G Rodeo Company bronc Karat Kowboy.

Wright, who won the Silver Spurs in 2011, finished four seven points ahead of second-place Sterling Crawley of Stephenville, Texas, who had a 77.

In the steer wrestling, Tanner Milan of Cochrane, Alberta posted the fastest time of the night, taking his steer to the turf in 4.0 seconds.

The top team ropers of the night were Bubba Buckaloo of Caddo, Okla., and Russell Cardoza of Terrebonne, Ore., who roped their steer in 4.9 seconds.

It was a pretty good day for Cardoza, who had a 9.3-second run during the morning slack, which is currently leading the tie-down roping. The fastest time turned in by a roper in the performance on Friday night was a 9.6 by Ace Slone of Cuero, Texas.

In the barrel racing, Rachel Dice of Livermore, Calif., was the final racer to go, but wound up with the fastest time of the night, covering the cloverleaf pattern in 17.39-seconds.

RENO, Nev. – The following are current leaders at the Reno Rodeo after the first of nine performance, June 19, 2015.